The Brisbane Swim Trainer Who's About To Swim The English Channel...

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:12):
I Heeart podcasts, year more kiss podcasts, playlists and listen
live on the free iHeart apps. Now you know how
I swim at Centenary Pool about four times a week.
One of our much Love swimming coaches, a guy by
the name of Troy Fiddler, is leaving next week to
swim the English Channel. But Troy's in his fifties and

(00:33):
he's doing this to support a great Brisbane charity.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
And he joins this morning, how are we excellent?

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Well?

Speaker 1 (00:39):
More the point, my friend, how are you?

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yes, I'm getting a bit nervous since Tony a week
today till I leave for the English Channel.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Wow. And so when you arrive in England, if you've
got a couple of days to sort of get over
jet lag and stuff before you swim.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Yeah, correct, Kipso arrive on the twenty sixth, and then
my window for swimming opens on that Friday, which is
the twenty ninth of August, and you get an eight
week window. So I might might not be swimming straight away.
Looking at the long range forecast, I'm probably going to
swim on about the Sunday or the Monday.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Right.

Speaker 3 (01:14):
Why do they give you such a huge window.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Because the conditions are so unpredictable, so they give you
a window of approximately seven to eight days to complete
the swim.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
Wow, right, okay, you mean you swim for seven days?
I how long is it going to How long is
it takes? How long does it take you? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:37):
Okay, good, that's good question. You know the average time
is about thirteen hours. I'm planning to do it in
around that time.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
Wow, that's incredible.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Let me tell you about Troy because it's a three
time Australian triathlon champion. But that was back in your
younger days.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Correct, Yeah, a lot more hair than in a lot
less wrinkles, but that was a long time ago. Thanks
for digging that up.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
And now you try and correct people like me. It's
centenary pool. As a swimming coach, I mean, how do
you feel if you can't do it.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
There's quite a rate of non completion of the channel
because it's so unpredictable, So that just adds, I think,
to the challenge of it. So it's just something you
have to get your head around and be prepared for
whatever it throws at you.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
Given that huge window, like the possible eight week window,
how do you keep yourself in the right condition. Are
you supposed to have extra fat on your body and
stuff like that for the swim because it's cold.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
Or what are you supposed to do? Yeah? True, So
in the last year and a half I've actually made
to add just sub a ten kilograms, so I've gone
from eighty kilogram to ninety one. So that's pretty good
for me. It's been a lot of ice cream, a
lot of pizza, a lot of top parts. It's like
a pre path to eat what you want.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah, and what about when you get to England? Are
you allowed to just get on the pintes when you
get there.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Or well some people have been known to have one
or two bits beforehand they get the phone call. Because
you nomally get twenty four hours notice that you're going
to swim, it can be a lot of waiting around,
which is a lot of nervous energy. Hopefully going to
swim early in my window, not late in my window.
So it's thirty four k's across, Yeah, correct, it's straight line.
It's thirty four, but no one swimms thirty four Because

(03:12):
of the change of current. You end up swimming it
probably about you know that with the currents and who
that a long time and probably do forty five to forty.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
Eight k forty eight. Well back in the day, you know,
French and English warships weren't able to make it across
the channel.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Thanks for the mother.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
Look it's incredible, but.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
Trying to get all the get all that out.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
So you're going to do.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
It, right, Yeah? Yeah, I'm going to do I have
to do it. I mean, I'm also doing it for
a charity, the Jama Foundation. You know, they're a great
foundation which raises you know, money for children in foster
care to help with their learning. So that actually gives
it a purpose. And you know, I've got three kids myself.
That's motivation then, you know, Robin, you know, coming to
the pool and telling me I have to make it.
This is enough motivation. I don't want to get them

(03:56):
her bad side.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
What happens if you don't though, Troy, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
I don't think that I won't get there.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
That's the way to think.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
And I reckon in the back of your mind, you
know you can do it and get there. One thing
I always do for a game or yea a massive
thing is never doubt Coreya. I'm totally just visualizing myself
being on the French soil and raising my hands up
and saying I made it. So that's all I want
to do and that that will help me get the
You're so right? How can people follow to follow me

(04:27):
easily on my socials? Obviously Troy Fidler on Instagram or Facebook.
I will put up a tracker so I can actually
see the course I'm taking and how I'm it's taking.
So they'll go up to my socials in the next
few days and they can also donate to the charity
presentmant Foundations by my socials. My bar has the link
for the charity as well.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
There we'll share it on ours as well, So Troy
Fidler and Pajama Foundation, Mate, we'll chat to you when
you get to the other side. That would be great.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Good to speak by Mabe